antepenult

[an-tee-pee-nuhlt, -pi-nuhlt]

noun

the third syllable from the end in a word, as te in antepenult.

Origin of antepenult

1575–85; < Latin (syllaba) antepaenultima the second (syllable) from the last, feminine of antepaenultimus standing before the penult. See ante-, penult

Related formspre·an·te·pe·nult, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for antepenult

Historical Examples of antepenult

Words llanas may assonate with words accented on the antepenult (esdrjulas).
Legends, Tales and Poems
Gustavo Adolfo Becquer
Words ending in ous have the accents on the antepenult, as uxrious, volptuous.
A Grammar of the English Tongue
Samuel Johnson
This anie eare may if he accent the antepenult matrmonie, or the penult matrimnie, or the last as matrimone.
Of the Orthographie and Congruitie of the Britan Tongue
Alexander Hume
If the penult is short, the antepenult is accented provided it be long: Sansthā́naka.
The Little Clay Cart
(Attributed To) King Shudraka
For purposes of assonance little use is made of words accented on a syllable preceding the antepenult.
Legends, Tales and Poems
Gustavo Adolfo Becquer

British Dictionary definitions for antepenult

antepenult

noun

the third last syllable in a word

Word Origin for antepenult

C16: shortened from Latin (syllaba) antepaenultima; see ante-, penult

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for antepenult

1610s; see antepenultimate.